The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-26
0UEERSTREET MUSICIANS
HOW A RED HEADED WRESTLING
GIRL WON A HUSBAND.

The Blind Singer and His One-Arned
Rival-Dr. McGlynn to Become a Poll
tician : No Jubilee Enthusiasm in
New York.
New YoRK, June 25.-The travelling
troubadours of ancient times would, if alive
to-day, be moved with envy to discover how
the modern street musician in New York
makes money There are in the metropolis
more than 5000 persons who make living
or better by providing street music The
little brass bands that raise the gorge of
their victims with atrocious music, and the
organ grinders form majority of this null
titude who live by making noise. There is
the difference between the German bands
and the Italian organist, that while the
formerplay in front of German saloons, the
Italians never have to grind their organs in
the Italian district of New York. The most
eccentric music maker in New York is an
elderly man, apparently half wit, who
plays hurdygurdy ON certain streets in
habited by well-to-do people Every Satur-
day afternoon at o'clock this man has for
twenty years appeared on West twelfth
street and contiguous thoroughfares. He
carries an atrocious old hurtly-e1lrdy slung
over his shoulders and grinds it with malice
aforethought while he watzes about the
sidewalk to the rythm of his racket He
springs hitber and yon, throws one leg over
a hydrant, hops out into the middle of the
street, and jumps up and down, accompany
ing his hurdy- gurdy all the while with PEE
culiar whistle. His actions enlist the en-
thusiasm of his auditors, and he makes
enough money in his Saturday after
noon pilgrimages to pay his way the rest of
the week.
A., ia ,,,o,~,,,,, .;., ,x,,,.,. -, - I7:e.,
avenue near Tenth street, and grinds a
wheezy organette. 1t emits old, time-worn
tunes, that would naturally repel the listen
er, but the aged woman makes enough at
her post to support a large family. A little
poodle sits on its launches at her feet hour
after hour, holding in its mouth a little bas-
ket, into which the contributor drops his
money. She looks to the stranger the pict-
ure of detection, but she and her dog make
the comfortable income of 50 q day.
The most notable noise maker in New
York is an old, gaunt man who appears
every pleasant evening ON Fourteenth street
His instrument has no counterpart in
America. 1t is an old, battered, spinet,
which has been played upon so much that it
gives out only dull, distractful noise with
out the slightest suggestion of melody. Its
very atrocity is a source of profit to the old
man, for persons who would not stop to
listen to a hand organ or street band are
attracted by the terrible tumult of this old
instrument and the quaint appearance of its
old operator. He has been playing the old
music machine at one point on Fourteenth
street for twenty years, and he is worth
much more than many well-dressed persons
who stop to drop coin in the old tin basin
that he keeps ON his spinet.
The most prosperous street musicians of
New York are band of six colored min
strel singers. They appear every afternoon
mn fai N resistance cfraatc of tho xxact side
and give complete minstrel show with
longs, clog dances and ancient jokes. Every
summer evening after the dinner hour, the
thousands of New Workers who live in flats
and boarding houses, cluster on the front
steps of the houses, and any one who can
furnish them real diversion is welcome. 1t
is at this hour that the strolling musicians
make their money.
The best and most widely known street
musician in New York is a Frenchman
His history has pathetic interest. Years
ago he was the principal tenor in the finest
opera troupe that then delighted Paris. He
married, and all the world went well with
him. Suddenly his eyesight began to fail,
when he went TO an oculist he learned the
terrible truth that he was doomed to perpet-
ual blindness
When he was no longer able to read the
notes of music, he lost his position in the
opera troupe With his wife, whom he had
married in the days of his prosperity he
came to America. Starvation stared him in
the face and he curbed his pride to the ex-
tentof going out on the street at singing.
He has powerful voice and sings the Mar
seillaise in such stirring manner that the
most careless pedestrian cannot help stop
ping to listen to him, and every Frenchman
throws up his hat and goes wild with enthu-
siasm. His wife, playing "a harmonica ac-
companies him, and the blind French
man makes an average income of So per
day.
No song for outdoor music surpasses the
s'Marseillaise - The blind Fenchman
above alluded to, who sings it so well, has a
rival in the person of an Italian woman
with one arm who invades certain streets on
the west side, and sings the national French
air in high shrill key She makes an aver
age income of 50 day and she is more in
iebted to her missing arm than to her pleas
ant voice for it.
Some years ago girl with red hair and
winsome face caused quite a sensation by
whistling on the streets of New York. A
theatrical manager heard her and induced
her to go on the stage She went West and
made wide reputation whistling at church
concerts. A rich young man, charmed with
her whistling and her face, married her
and she is now lady of fashion and
wealth.
The love of New Workers for street music
is illustrated by the case or the colored man
who has for several seasons been whistling
all over the country with one Of the theat-
sfcal troupes. He was formerly laborer
In livery stable He fell sick and destitu-
ton overlook him. When he was able to
hobble down the street for the first time
after his recovery, he relieved his feelings
by whistling mournful tune taught him by
his grandmother who claimed to have learn
ed it from her kinspeople who sang it on the
ship that brought them into slavery from
Africa. A theatre manager happened TO
hear the Africans sad but beautiful
music and approached him with the
words:
do you want to earn some money!"
s'Deed do, boss said the colored man.
"I've been sick an we amt got a mouthful
TO eat in the house"
I'm give you $50 week to come with
me and whistle on the stage" said the mana
ger The offer was a God send 10 the Afr-
tan. He went on the stage whistling dur
Ing the theatrical season, and in the
picnic seasons of tho summer he makes
$40 or more day whistling for pleasures
parties.
A curious experiment INDUCED in by
young men about town who have feeling
bf resentment toward street bands is to get
pieces of lemons, stand before the musicians
lust as they prepare to play and begin to suck
the sour fruit. II is said that no musician